Hey man, good luck with your shooter! I had completely forgotten A Space Battle and started a similar shooter in the Projects page (here: http://www.create-games.com/project.asp?id=1612). If i'm honest, playing your game and remembering my old game Space Commander must have prompted me to make this, especially as A Space Battle reminded me of Space Commander so much!
Anyways, i'm looking forward to seeing more of Space Star mate!